We don’t know what happens to the waste we recycle, and that’s a problem
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There is a glaring lack of tracking for global recycling. Poor waste management is deeply connected to climate change, plastic pollution and global nutrient imbalances globally.
Economies also suffer from the lack of tracking. We extract, process and then landfill and incinerate trillions of dollars of materials per year. Instead, these could be recirculating, creating new jobs and reducing reliance on global trade.
To shift to alternative, circular models, we need better data on local and global waste management.
My research demonstrates that more local waste tracking through digitalization could yield multiple benefits. It could help track hyper-local recycling and reuse, initiatives that are usually considered too small and burdensome to include in national waste tracking efforts.
And compared to national waste tracking, localized waste tracking could also provide more timely and relevant insights on the effectiveness of policies, infrastructure investments and education.
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There is a glaring lack of tracking for global recycling. Poor waste management is deeply connected to climate change, plastic pollution and global nutrient imbalances globally.
Economies also suffer from the lack of tracking. We extract, process and then landfill and incinerate trillions of dollars of materials per year. Instead, these could be recirculating, creating new jobs and reducing reliance on global trade.
To shift to alternative, circular models, we need better data on local and global waste management.
My research demonstrates that more local waste tracking through digitalization could yield multiple benefits. It could help track hyper-local recycling and reuse, initiatives that are usually considered too small and burdensome to include in national waste tracking efforts.
And compared to national waste tracking, localized waste tracking could also provide more timely and relevant insights on the effectiveness of policies, infrastructure investments and education.
Because waste and recycling is a provincial matter (like many things)… saying Canada doesn’t have a standardized federal framework is fine, but kind of a shallow take considering this article didn’t bring up any provincial examples at all.
BC is on the ball with recycling, reporting and auditing composition.report
Ontario is trying to standardize their system and it puts cost and collection responsibilities on producers supposedly, but it could lead to lower recovery rates.
Alberta or Saskatchewan probably don’t care that much, or will support it to the extent it helps oil and resource companies.
